Jesus Freak (film)

Jesus Freak is a 2003 American micro-budget drama directed by Morgan Nichols. It stars Laura Lee Bahr, Regan Forman, Pete Kuzov, and Oded Gross, and tells the story of a teenage girl who, while struggling to find her identity in her small-minded town, brings home a man who is either her savior, a migrant Mexican, or both.^[1] The film was shot on location in Portales, New Mexico, where screenwriter and star Laura Lee Bahr grew up.^[2]

Synopsis

(The following synopsis was written by Susanna Ulrich for the LA Film Festival)

Life in Portales, New Mexico isn’t easy for high school bad girl Lily (Laura Lee Bahr, who also wrote the screenplay). Weekends mean endless cruising until the cough syrup kicks in. The boy she loves won’t commit, she’s surrounded by strident born-again Christians, and her budding sexuality is starting to earn her a reputation.

To top it off, while others in her Sunday school class report visions of Jesus as Ronald Reagan or Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily’s personal savior appears to her as a gangly, Spanish-speaking migrant worker. Oh well, she figures, any boyfriend in a pinch.

Cast

• Laura Lee Bahr as Lily
• Regan Forman as Christy
• Pete Kuzov as John
• Oded Gross as Tom
• Josh Kantor as Jesus
• Robin Mullins as Lily's Mother

Awards, honors, and festivals

• Jesus Freak won the Best Southwest Award at the Santa Fe Film Festival.^[3]
• Jesus freak was a "sleeper hit" at the first Tallgrass Film Festival.^[4]

Reception

Susanna Ulrich of the Los Angeles Film Festival said of Jesus Freak: "By turns wistful, poignant and offbeat, the debut feature from director Morgan Nichols ultimately captures the confusion of adolescence with a rare, touching grace." Variety said "There's a Claire Danes quality to Bahr's gentle, nuanced performance that solidly anchors the film."^[5]

References

External links

• Jesus Freak at the Internet Movie Database
• The original trailer for Jesus Freak